SocialandParasocialRelationshipsonSocialNetworkSitesSocialandParasocialRelationshipsonSocialNetworkSitesandTheirDifferentialRelationshipswithUsers’PsychologicalWell-BeingYoungMinBaek,PhD,1YoungBae,PhD,2andHyunmiJang,MS3AbstractWiththeadventofsocialnetworksites(SNSs),peoplecanef?cientlymaintainpreexistingsocialrelationshipsandmakeonlinefriendshipswithoutof?ineencounters.WhilesuchtechnologicalfeaturesofSNSsholdavarietyofpotentialforindividualandcollectivebene?ts,somescholarswarnthatuseofSNSsmightleadtosociallynegativeconsequences,suchassocialisolation,erosionofsocialcohesion,orSNSaddiction.ThisstudydistinguishestypesofSNSrelationships,andinvestigatestheirrelationshipswithsocialisolation,interpersonaltrust,andSNSaddiction.WeclassifySNSrelationshipsintotwotypes:(a)socialrelationshipsbasedonreci-procitybetweenauserandhis/herfriends,and(b)parasocialrelationshipsinwhichanordinaryuserisawareofactivitiesofacelebrity(e.g.,famousactors,athletes,andothers)butnotviceversa.Basedonachievementsinstudiesofmediaeffectandsocialpsychology,weconstructedasetofhypotheses,andtestedthemusingasubsampleofSNSusersdrawnfromrepresentativesurveydatainSouthKorea.Wefoundthatdependencyonparasocialrelationshipsispositivelyrelatedwithlonelinessbutnegativelycorrelatedwithinterpersonaldistrust,whiledependencyonsocialrelationshipisnegativelycorrelatedwithlonelinessbutpositivelyrelatedwithtrust.However,moredependencyonbothsocialandparasocialrelationshipsarepositivelyrelatedwithSNSad-diction.Implicationsbasedon?ndingsarealsodiscussed.IntroductionSocialnetworksites(SNSs)suchasTwitter,Facebook,Cyworld,orMySpaceprovidemediatedsocialrelation-shipsenablinguserstosharetheirthoughtswithfriends,re-storeoldrelationshipswithacquaintances,andmakeonlinefriendshipswithoutof?ineencounters.1,2SNSsaredifferentfromconventionalmassmedia,intermsofinteractivity,andinstantandpersonalizedcommunicationbasedonsocialnetworks.2Whilesocialmediaaredifferentfrommassmedia,botharedominantplatformsformediatedcommunicationinamodernsociety.Sincepeopleinteractwithothersusingcommunicationtechnologies,theemergenceofanewme-diumisexpectedtochangeexistingsocialinteraction.3Humanrelationshipsareanimportantfactorin?uencingconstructsoftenusedtode?nethequalityofpsychologicalwell-being,suchaslonelinessorbelongingness,trusttowardsothers,andtechnologyaddiction.Therefore,diffusionofanewmediumchangeshowpeopleinteractwithothers,whichinturnin?uencespeople’spsychologicalwell-being.Inthisvein,itisnaturaltoobservescholasticcontroversiesovertheeffectofSNSuseonpsychologicalwell-being.Ononehand,somescholarsexpectthatfrequentmessageex-changebetweenSNSfriendshelpspeopletoformstrongermembership2,4andalsotoobtainso-called‘‘weakties’’5thatprovideuserswithagreatervolumeandhigherqualityofnews.Conversely,otherscontendthatthesenewlyavailableSNSrelationshipsaresuper?cialorephemeral,andthattheydisplaceauthenticfacetofacerelationships,whichinturnleadstosocialisolationanddismantlessocialcohesion.6,7ThegoalofthisstudyistoexplainwhySNSusecanresultinsuchoppositein?uencesbydistinguishingtypesofSNSmediatedrelationships.TwotypesofSNSrelationshipBasicallyput,SNSscompriseanewtypeofonlineservice.InordertoevaluateSNSs’effectsonusers’psychologicalwell-being,itishelpfultorefertopreviousstudiesexaminingpeople’sdifferentusageoftheInternetanditssocial1DepartmentofCommunication,YonseiU...